ART & DESIGN

Month: July 2014

Sarah Gabriel’s light and colourful drawings, and watercolour and ink paintings are very eye catching. The fine detail and deft touch, along with the pop of colour, are almost ethereal, and definitely an inspiration for me.

She draws inspiration from nature, and living in the beautiful countryside around Kyneton in central Victoria, her drawings really do “capture the ‘energy’ and ‘spirit’ of her environment”.

Her work can be found online and at her gallery in Kyneton. Sarah prints and hand colours limited edition drypoint etchings. She also runs small group workshops in drawing and printmaking which I hope to get to one day.

Congratulations to this year’s winner of the prestigious Archibald Prize for portraiture, Fiona Lowry with her skilful, delicate and evocative painting of Penelope Seidler. I’m looking forward to seeing it up close and personal when it comes to the Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery in Victoria.

Fiona Lowry, artistPenelope Seidler, title

More info: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2014/29495/

I love the Archies. Can’t wait to see who is the winner this year when it is announced tomorrow!

I’ve been going to see the finalists every year for about 7 years now, and sporadically on and off before that. Running since 1921, this annual prize is awarded for portraiture ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.

The variety of mediums, sizes, styles and quality always astounds me just as surely as the winner is always a stand out, awe inspring winner.

Kathryn Del Barton’s and Ben Quilty’s paintings in particular are spectacular. Large, textured and colourful, they grab your eye the minute you walk into the room. Viewing this very popular exhibition is somewhat tricky as the crowds can detract from an immersive viewing experience. Somehow, though, whenever I am in front of a real work of genius, the rest of the room fades away.